Combined almond huller and separator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

J. E. BEACH. COMBINED ALMOND HULLER AND SEPARATOR.

"Patented Sept. 8, 1896'.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J.E.BEAOH. COMBINED ALMOND HULLER AND SBPARATOR. No. 567,372. Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

WITNESSES [JV'VEJVTOR V MM MQM 6 4o chine.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. BEACH, OF ROUTIER STATION, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED ALMOND HULLER AND SEP'ARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,372, dated September 8, 1896.

A li ati fil d November 1, 1895. Serial No. 567,613. (No model.)

T0 calla/72,0712, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES E. BEACH, a citizen of the United States, residingat Routier Station, county of Sacramento, State of California, have invented an Improvement in a Combined Almond Huller and Separator and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus for the cleaning, hulling, and separating of a1 monds.

It consists in certain details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which- Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial section of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is an end View of the cleaning-cylinder. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the inner cone or drum F.

The apparatus consists of a wooden frame of any suitable size. In the present case I have shown it between nine and ten feet long, between four and five feet high, and between two and three feet wide, with corner-posts upon which the whole is supported.

The machine consists of three parts, the first of which serves to free the almonds of sticks, leaves, and other dirt which accumulates in gathering; second, to thresh or free the almond from the hull, and, third, to separate the almonds from the hulls which have been removed from them.

A is the frame of the machine.

B is a hollow cylinder about two and onehalf feet long by-one and one-half feet in diameter, having a central shaft suitably journaled so that the cylinder stands at a slight inclination toward the upper end of the ma- This cylinder .is made with spokes radiating from the shaft,having rims and situated about ten inches from each end of the cylinder. Exterior to the rims are six or more bars of No. 6 or 8 wire, fastened to the rims equidistant from each other and parallel with the shaft. Each bar or rib extends about ten inches beyond the rim, and at the receiving end these wires are bent inwardly toward the center, thus forming radial ribs for partially closing that end. Around this frame is wound No. 10 galvanized Wll ein a continuous length, so as to form a spiral from end to end, with a space of about one-half an inch between the adjacent wires. The almonds are fed into the partially-closed end from a V-shaped box or hopper C, and, the cylinder being rotated, any dirt, sticks, or leaves will eventually pass out between 'the spirally-arranged surrounding wires, while the almonds will be delivered from the upper end of the cylinder into the second part or huller. This second portion consists of two frustumsof cones, one fitting and .turnable inside of the other, which is stationary. The outside cone is approximately twenty-eight inches in length, ten inches in diameter at the small end, and fifteen at the large end. The shaft'is journaled at an inclination in the opposite direction, from that of the upper cylinder, previously described, and this'cone D is made of coarse 7o wire-cloth secured around an outside frame, consisting of a wooden outer circle at each end, the small end being closed and the large end open. This wire-cloth is preferably woven of No. 14 or 16 wire, and a part of the woof of this woven fabric is made of wire two or three sizes coarser than the remainder of the fabric, so as to make an irregular or rough surface to more completely remove the hulls from the almonds. The inside cone or drum F is of the, same length and has a diameter about one and one-half inches less than the outer cylinder, tapering in the same proportion from one to the other. It has iron heads 2 and Wooden peripheral staves 3, and exterior to the staves is fitted a small amount of yielding padding 4, over which is a covering of wire-cloth 5, which completes the cone. The shaft upon which this inside cone is mounted is sufficiently long, and is 0 movable longitudinally, sothat the space between the two cones may be made wider or narrower by moving the inside cone within the outer one. The inside cone is revoluble within the outer one,which is,as before stated, 9 5 fixed. The outer cone has an opening d made at the top near the small end, which is the highest, and the almonds pass into the space between the two cones as they are delivered from the cleaning-cylinder. The revolution of the inner cone within the outer one rolls and turns the almonds between the two until the almonds are separated from the hulls, and both almonds'and bulls are discharged from the lower and larger end through a short wide spout into the separator. The elastic construction of this hulling portion of the apparatus prevents the hulls from being too much broken up in the process of removing them from the almonds an d preserves the latter from being broken within this part of the apparatus. From this hulling section the almonds and hulls are delivered into a hollow cylinder I, which is mounted upon an inclined shaft, and is constructed with sets of radial spokes projecting outwardly, carrying rims upon which the outer surface of the cylinder is formed and supported. These rims J are here shown as three in number, one about fifteen inches from the receiving end of the cylinder, one about midway, and the other about fifteen inches from the lower or dischargeend. The whole length of this part of the apparatus is approximately about seven feet by one and one-half feet in diameter, the inclination being about four inches for the entire length. Upon the rims are fastened seven heavy wire bars made of about No. 7 or No. 8 Wire fixed equidistant from each. other and parallel with the shaft, and at the upper end these ribs are bent inwardly toward the center, so as to form a partiallyinclosed end. Around the upper section of this cylinder is secured a wire screen M, made preferably of wire in a continuous length, so as to form a spiral from end to end, with a space of sufficient size to allow the kernels or broken almonds to pass out into a box which is situated below. The next four and onehalf feet of the frame is covered with No. 10 galvanized wire extendin g around this portion for its entire length, as shown at K. This wire is bent so as to form angles, and when ap plied is, in appearance, corrugated or zigzag, the wires being nearly equidistant apart with a space of from about one-half to five-eighths of an inch between them. These angular spaces allow the cup-shaped hulls to pass out through them, especially at the angles, which are of such shape that the hulls, although wider than the spaces themselves, will fall into such position as to slip through. These angles are such that they occu r about every one and on ehalf inches around the circumference of the cylinder. The remaining section Lof fifteen inches, at the lower end of the cylinder, is made of straight wire wound spirally around as described for the construction of the clean ing-cylinder, the distance between these wires being about seven-eighths of an inch to allow the almonds to pass out and into a' spout or box beneath. The remainder, being unhulled almonds or sometimes double hulls, will pass out at the open end of the cylinder and can be again passed through the hulling apparatus if desired. Power may be applied in any suitable manner to the shaft of the huller, and by means of a pulley upon this shaft and upon the shaft of the separator above the latter, which runs easily, can be driven by a belt passing around the two pulleys. The separating-cylinder is also driven from the huller-shaft by means of pulleys and belts applied in any suitable manner which is most convenient for the operation.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for hulling and separating almonds, a separating device into which the almonds and shells are delivered from the huller, consisting of a cylinder havinga central shaft, spokes and riinsfiXed thereto, dividing the cylinder into sections from end to end longitudinally, bars fixed upon said rims, a peripheral covering consisting of plain coiled wires surrounding the first section, corrugated wires surrounding the second section, with the angles of the corrugations eoinciding with each other, and spirally-coiled plain wires surrounding the third section, substantially as described.

2. In an almond huller, cleaner and separator, a frame, a feed-hopper supported thereon, a cleaning-cylinder having the periphery formed of spirally-coiled wires with interstices for the escape of the dirt, a hulling device consisting of a stationary and a rotary cone adjustable with relation to each other to increase or diminish the space between them, said cones having elastic peripheral screencoverings between which the almonds are caused to pass from end to end, an opening at the upper end thereof into which the almonds are delivered from the cleaning-cylinder, a separating-cylinder formed in sections having the peripheral surface of plain and corrugated wires wound around it, and connecting-belts and pulleys whereby motion may be imparted to rotate the cylinders.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES E. BEACII.

\Vitnesses:

BERT J. STOREY, JOHN STUDAR'NS, Jr. 

